Delivery mechanism for snowplows



c. SPEER Oct. 27, 1931.

DELI VERY MECHANISM 'FOR SNOWPLOWS Griginal Filed July 29, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet l AAAAAAR-AHAAA AAA AAA AAA AAA)! AAA C. SPEER Oct. 27, 1931.

DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR SNOWPLOWS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Original Filed July 29 1929 E- I E-EEH Patented Get. 27, 1931 PATENT OFFICE CLARENCE SPEER, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA DELIVERY MECHANISM FOR SNOWPLOWS Original application filed July 29, 1929,

'My invention relates to improvements in delivery mechanism for snow plows wherein a hopper is rotatably mounted upon a carriage to receive snow from elevating means mounted thereon, said hopper having conveying means, mounted thereon and movable therewith, independently of the movement of the carriage and elevating means, to deliver snow in a desired direction.

This invention consists in improved features of construction and arrangement of the delivery mechanism of a snow plow such as disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No. 381,866, filed July 29, 1929, now Patent No. 1,793,523, patented February 24,

1931, of which original application this present application is a division; and reference to'which is hereby made.

The primary object of this invention is to provide improved means for receiving and delivering snow from elevating means whereby the snow may be delivered rearwardly or to either side of a roadway as desired.

Another objectis to provide an improved '25 means for mounting and actuating delivery conveyors mounted'upon and movable with a rotatable hopper whereby the operation of the conveyors is unaffected by the adjustment of r the hopper and conveyors to various positions.

A further object is to provide an improved mechanism wherein a hopper and delivery conveyor may be readily moved by power actuating means to any of a plurality of delivery positions.

Another object is to provide improved driving means whereby parallel conveyors may be driven simultaneously, at the same speed by a common driving shaft, and permitting movement of the conveyors about the driving shaft to various delivery positions.

A still further object is to provide an improved device embodying improved details of construction and arrangement to produce a rugged, compact, and highly efficient mechanism simplifying the structure and operationof the machine.

I accomplish these and other objects by means of the improved device disclosed in the drawings forming a part of the present Serial No. 381,866. Divided and this application filed August 18, 1930. Serial No. 475,957.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the machine as shown in Fig. 1, parts being broken away and shown in section;

Fig. 3 is a broken transverse vertical section of the hopper. disclosing the driving connections of the delivery conveyors, the figure being drawn upon a larger scale;

' Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the hopper and track; and

Fig. 5 is a broken vertical sectional detail of the conveyor actuating gears.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 is used to designate in general a carriage pro vlded with snow cutting and elevating means, designated in general by the numeral 2,

mounted upon the forward end thereof. The r 1 upon the hopper 6 to engage the track 7 and V rotatably support the hopper thereof. The hopper consists of a cylindrical body portion closed across the bottom, as at 9, and having an open top provided with a flaring edge 11. The track 7 extends around the body of the hopper between the bottom thereof and the flaring edge 11. i

A power shaft 12 extends axially upwardly through an opening 13 in the bottom 8 of the hopper. The shaft 12 is driven by means of a gear 14 meshing with a gear 16 which is livered into the hopper is carried outwardly driving pinion 36 mounted upon a shaft 37,

G turned inrdesired direoti'onsto rotate the hop-' driven by a shaft 17 and to which power is each" other at points spaced upontoppo'site' sides of the axis of the shafts 18, andare of different diameters so that one cre gears,

as22, will overhang the other gear. A driven i gear 23 ismounted' upon one of theshafts 18 to mesh with the gear 21 and a geari'24 is mounted upon the other shaft 18 to mesh with the gea'r 22Q The gears 23and 24 bear the same ratio tothe gears21 and 22 respectively,

1 the difference in the sizeof said gears being such that said gearsmay rotate past each other and drive the'shafts 18 simultaneously in fthe same direction and at't-he samespeed.

.Conveyors26 are mounted over sprockets 27 secured upon the shafts .18, j The conveyors- 26 are extendedoutwardly from the hopper 6 and over sprockets' 2 8 mounted upon shafts 29, The shafts 29 are mounted upon theouter .ends of arms 31, the inner ends of'said arms being mount-Led upon the shafts18; Braces 30 are 'mountediupon the sides of the hopper and connectedfto the arms 31to support the outer-ends of the arms and conveyors; The conveyors extend, upwardly and, outwardly from the hopper, one side of thehopper beingpartially cutaway, asat 32,topermit to movement 3 of the; lower flights of' the: conveyors therepasta The conveyors are ar ranged in parallel relation upon opposite sides of the power shaft 12, and areprovided preferably with buckets 33, whereby snow deover the outer ends of the conveyors:

The. hopper 6is provided with a ring gear 34; secured thereon, preferably above the plane of'thetra-ck 7. Thegear: 34 is engaged. by a Oppositely facing gears 38 and 39 are mounted uponthe shaft37, meshing relation with a driving gear, 41 driven in any convenient manner from the engine 3. A clutch member 42is feathered onto the shaft 37 and arranged to bemoved by suitable actuating connections designated in general by the numeral 43 to en- 7 gageeither' of the gears38 or 39 and thereby cause the; pinion36 and ring gear:34 to be per 6 about its vertical axis. The clutch mem- -benfi2 is; normally; held in a neutral position permitting, free rotation ofthe gears 38 and 2 39 upon theshaft 37.

T p ation, the carriage isypropelledi along a roadway to be cleared of snow, and the snow is elevated into the hopper 6 as fully explained in my co-pending applicationre- V sired point of delivery. Whereit is possible to dump the snow along either side of the roadway, the hopper is turned to direct the I conveyors in the desired direction as indicated in dotted lines in F g. 3 of the drawings.

Thus, in thecase of roads built along a -hillside, the conveyor may turnedto deliver 'the'snowfto the'lowerside,"and where the road is paralleled upon either side by aditch,

the conveyor may be turned to either side,

as indicated,- to deliver thesnow into such ditch.- Where it is -necessary to remove the snow in trucks, or the like, theconveyors are directed rearwardly, as shown in full lines in Figs, 1 and12of-the drawings, whereby the snow may bedelivered rearwardly into a truck body 14. I U i In the improved structure herein disclosed, the annular track afio'rds a rigid support for the hopper andconveyors, and permits the entire hopper and'conveyor mechanism to be readilyturned bypower to a desired position without" altering the driving connections to the delivery. conveyors, and permitting a single operator toshift the delivery conveyors .from side' to-side, asconditionsvary,without leaving theoperators position; Specific de-.

tails} of the-construction areofcourse subject to inodifica-tion iii-various ways Wli3l10lli3"(lparting from the spirit ofmy invention, and Ither'efore desire toavailmyself of all modifications, which mavfall within the scope of the appended claims; 1 e a 'Having thus described m'yinventiomwhat I clai-inasnew and desire to secure by Let ters Patent is:@ n

1.;Dehve'ry, mechanism for snow plows comp'risinga hopper mounted upon a mov able carriage to receive snow from elevating means mounted upon the'carriage; a power shaft 'a'xiallydisposed within the hopper a:

pairof conveyorshafts mounted within the hopper in axial alinement upon opposite sides of the power shaft; apair ofparallel endless conveyors supported upon'the hopper and having their inner'endsconnected' to the conveyor shafts; a bevel gear mountedupon the power shaft and a gear mounted upon one of the'conveyor shafts in meshing relation with, said bevel gear; a second bevel gear mounted upon the power shaft and a gearni-ounted upon the other conveyor shaft in meshingirelation therewith, said second bevel gear and its meshing gear being of the ratio, but of different diameter, with respect to the first-'bevel'gearand its driven gear, .whereby the conveyorishafts aireactuated simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed; and means to turn the hopper about its vertical axis to direct the conveying means in a desired direction independently of the movement of the carriage and its elevating means.

2. Delivery mechanism for snow plows comprising a hopper mounted upon a movable carriage to receive snow from elevating means mounted upon the carriage; a power shaft axially disposed within the hopper; a pair of conveyor shafts mounted within the hopper in axial alinement upon opposite sides of the power shaft; 2. pair of parallel endless conveyors supported upon the hopper and having their inner ends connected to the conveyor shafts; a pair of oppositely facing bevel driving gears mounted in spaced relation upon the power shaft, said gears being of different diameters; driven gears mounted upon the conveyor shafts and engaging the driving gears, said driven gears being of different diameters corresponding to the diflerence in diameter of the driving gears meshing therewith, whereby the conveyor shafts are actuated simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed; and means to turn the hopper about its vertical axis to direct the conveying means in a desired direction independently of the movement of the carriage and its elevating means.

3. Delivery mechanism for snow plows comprising a hopper mounted upon a movable carriage to receive snow from elevating means mounted upon the carriage; a power shaft axially disposed within the hopper; a pair of conveyor shafts mounted within the hopper in axial alinement upon opposite sides of the power shaft; a pair of parallel endless conveyors supported upon the hopper and having their inner ends connected to the conveyor shafts; a pair of oppositely facing bevel driving gears mounted in spaced relation upon the power shaft, said gears being of different diameters; driven gears mounted upon the conveyor shafts and engaging the driving gears, said driven gears being of different diameters corresponding to the difference in diameter of the driving gears meshing therewith, whereby the conveyor shafts are actuated simultaneously in the same direction and at the same speed; a ring gear mounted upon the hopper; and means engaging the ring gear to turn the hopper about its vertical axis to direct the conveying means in a desired direction independently of the movement of the carriage and its elevating means.

In Witness whereof, I hereunto set my signature.

CLARENCE SPEER. 

